Hollow body for aviation purposes



Patented Dec. 26, M22.,

narran stares p i reussi Parent caerse.,

CLaUnitJsDoam-nn, or rarnnizioasnarnu, GERMANY, L...assitance To yTHErIai/i nonnina METALLBAUTEN GESELLSCHAFT MIT BESGHRNKTER HAFTUNG, or

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, GERMANY.

HOLLOW :BODY roRAvrATIoN rimrosns.

Application led August 19, 1922. Serial No. 582,967.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CLAUniUs DoRNiER, a citizen of Grermany7 residing at Friedrichs hafen, Germany, have invented certain new and useful-Improvements in Hollow Bodies for Aviation Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to hollow metal bodies which are adaptable for use as floats or hulls or the like for hydroplanes, air planes and for similar purposes, and it particularly refers among other important features to novel means for assembling' the partsgas well as to the new articles of manufacture constituting some preferred embodiments of this invention. lt is also an important object of my invention to facilitate the rivetingand assembling of the parts of such hollow" bodies, even of comparatively small sizes. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the specification proceeds.

Heretofore the floats, for example to be used for hydroplanes, were usually manufactured in the shape of open boats which ,were then closed by the application oi separate closely adjoining sheet metal closing plates. Small apertures were merely provided for the removal of leakage water. This mode of construction is open to many objections both as regards the manufacture itself as well as regards the subsequent utili- Zation of the hollow bodies. ln order to avoid the presence of too large a number of riveting rows the covering` up of the iioat has been effected by sheet metal plates of the width and length common in the trade. lnasmucli as the surface et the lloat is usually vaulted,'the rigidity of theuarched upper covering plate causes the inner rivetingy seam to be very diflicultly accessible after the ap plicat-ion of a new sheet metal section.y particularly with the sizes usually met with in the case of floats for aviation purposes.

rlhese inconveniences are avoided in this invention, and it provides means for Jfacilitating the riveting upon 'the application of the upper covering plate or the deck which usually composed of several sections, and is transversely arched, by immediately connec-ting' the marginal sections securely with the side walls of the floats but in such a manner that a section is left freely exposed -which extends from front to rear and sub stantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the float the said section being only closed by a covering sheet at the final stage of the manufacture. By this means a considerably simplified method of manufacture which can be easily practised. is .obtained` because the lateral extension sheet metal strips or sections in View of their small width and of the small camber resulting therefrom may be rolled olf, so to speak, in proportion with the progress of the manufacture, particularly with sheet metal of the small thickness een erally employed. lt is no longer necessary to leave a section running clear through from the bow to the stern entirely freely exposed, but it is preferable to provide covering and closing sheets along with the attaching of the lateral sheet metal sections at the beginning` and the rear extremity of the body, and to interrupt the exposed strip section by bridge pieces spaced from each other for strengthening' purposes.

lt is preferable to edect the securing in position of the closing metal sheets in such a manner that both the securing in position as well as the detaching of the sectional sheets may be effected in an easy and rapid n'ianner.

The invention may evidently also be applied for the purpose of facilitating the manufacture of hulls and the like flotation bodies for aviation purposes. in the manufacture of which as heretofore practised by the application of the upper covcrin;` sections or in the assembling of the hulls from individual separate annular sections the last riveting` seams were diliicultly accessible, aside from other` diliiculties preserutingv theinselves in the making ot' repairs.

'lliese inconveniences may be avoided according; to this invention by allowing;` a strip to be left free which extends in the manner 1 walls or in the bottom wall of the hollow i ier improvement my also maires provision tor etingr seams entirely at the outsiee, welle ses the inner edges of the upper shell which has already been connected to the side walls, is curved upwardly. The covering section -may 'be correspondingly shaped by having its edges bent upwards likewise. rlhe confronting sheet metal edges are made to engage with each other and are then riveted together. lt is particularly advantageous to apply a substantially U-shaped sectional bar or the like onto the contacting edges of the sheets and to run the rivets through the edges vand the said sectional bar.

The invention is illustrated upon the accompanying drawings showing by way of example several forms of `embodiment of tle invention, as applied to floats or the li (e.

` Figure 1 illustrates in a conventional manner a hydroplane float in vertical cross section on the line 1-1 of Figure 2 and Figure 2 shows the float as seen from above.

Figure 3 shows perspectively and diagrammatically a hull for aviation purposes in transverse section and Figure 4 is a detail, showing more clearly the point of connection of the hull on a somewhat enlarged scale.

The construction of the float is substana tially effected by first assembling the parts so as to obtain an open boat comprising the bottom a, and the two side walls b which at their upper edges are each provided with angle pieces c. At the stern and the bow covering met-al sheets d and e respectively are applied, and at the same time the two bridge pieces f are inserted for the purpose of stifl'ening the side walls b. Then, in 'accordance with my invention the two lateral strips g of the upper deck are applied. When using thin metal sheets the strips may be rolled ofi' gradually in proportion with the progress of the work of laying the same, so as to still further facilitate the insei-tion of the rivets. Even in case the metal sheets are applied as rigid units, the rivets are still easily accessible. ln conclusion the float is closed by the covering sheet 7L which is also secured by rivets. in order to be able to inspect the interior of the float or to ascertain any formation of bilge water or the like three openings are provided which may be closed in the usual manner by means of hand hole covers z'.

The construction of the hull of the hollow body, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, is effected in such a manneras to leave a strip uncovered in one of the walls which extends substantially or approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of the float and substantially from front to rear. All parts of the hull remain easily accessible even with small sizes. In conclusion the exposed strip-shaped section of 'the hull le is filled up with a sheet metal plate Z which is preferably detachably connected to said hull. The edges of the inserted piece Z and the edges of the hull may be bent upwards, as shown in the drawing, and a profilated or channeled bar m may be mounted upon the joint as appears from Figure 4 of the drawing.

The invention'is susceptible of various other changes and modifications so as to better adapt it for its various uses and applications, and without deviating from the spirit of the invention as defined in the claims.

In this connection the term flotation body used in the claims is to be construed as including fuselages of aircraft or similar bodies in the manufacture of which these principles of construction may be employed.

I claim:

1. A flotation body for aviation purposes comprising a hollow body having an open side, a. vaulted marginal strip attached about the edge of the opening, and closure means secured to the strip completely closing the remaining open space.

2. A flotation body for aviation purposes comprising a hollow body of sheet metal forming bottom and side walls, narrow marginal strips extending inwardly about the side walls leaving a longitudinal opening,

angle members connecting the marginal strips to the side walls, and a closure plate completely closing the opening and having means enabling access to the interior for securing the closure plate in position.

3. The method of constructing hollow flotation bodies for aviation purposes which consists in connecting sheet metal into a substantially longitudinally extending hol# low body with one longitudinally extending open side, connecting marginal pieces spaced from each other around said'opening and closing the remaining free space by covering means above the surface of the original opening, so as to obtain a vaulted deck plate. V

1l. The method of constructing hollow flotation bodies for aviation purposes which consists in connecting sheet material intov 5. A flotation body for aviation purposes I and the like, comprising a substantially longitudinally extending endwise closed hollow body with an open side, marginal deck portions along the sides of said opening, and a vaulted upper deck member secured to said marginal portions.

ln testimony whereof l aiiix my signature.

CLUDIUS DURNIER.

Certicate of Correction.

It 'is hereby certified that Letters Patent No. 1,440,282, granted December 26, 1922, upon the application of Claudius Dornier. oi' Friedrichshafen. Germany, for an improvement in Hollow Bodies for Aviation Purposes, were erroneously issued. to the firm Dornier Metallbauten Gesellsvhaft mit lwsehrinkter Haftung. of Friedrichshafen, Germany, as assignee of the entire interest in said invention. whereas said Letters Patent should have been issued to the in Venter, said Dornier, and to the firm Dow/Lier Metallbaw'ten Gesellschaft mit bescmincter Haftung, of Friedrichshafen, Germany, jointly, said firm. being assiffnee of one-half interest only in said invention, as shown by the records m assignments in this oflice; and that the said Letters Patent should he read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the ease in the1 Patent Oiiive.

Signed and sealed this 1st day of May, A. D.` 1922.

[SEAL] KARL F ENNJNG,

Acting ommissioner of Patente., 

